Patient Justice at Iraq War's Six-Year Anniversary
A Task that Does Not End
In a twist of foretold fate, the general American public protests the war and scoffs its supporters -- a scenario painted multiple times by George W. Bush, even as he sought to comfort and lead our wounded nation on September 11, 2001, and the days that followed. I am one of the remaining believers that his original plan and steadfast resolve was and is right.
A solid string of veterans, including myself, plays into my background. My love of country runs blood-deep. I believe in citizenship despite partisan lines, despite opinions, and despite voting records. I am not the American who hastily, cowardly trumpets phrases such as "He's not my president!" when given the slightest chance to voice my fair-weather ways. Loyalty crosses the lines that divide. I am a loyal American.
George W. Bush told the nation he lead through such troubled waters that the war we were embarking on would be long, hard and unlike any we had known before. He warned us that most would want to leave the fight before it was over. He tried to encourage us to determine then that we would not falter in what is the now. Our country has followed the path he saw as if there were no warning signs posted, as if there was no guiding hand trying to tip our chins up to focus on the goal.
I believe we have failed ourselves. Our soldiers represent a divided Union -- the ultimate oxymoron. We find our pride in standing in opposition and in publicly condemning our leaders. The consequences are and will be colossal.
Six years ago we began an effort to strike down terrorism. The road has been agonizingly long, the sacrifices have often seemed for naught, the end nonexistent, the price too high, the truth misleading, and the decisions unwise. But I do not believe this war has been a failure or based on lies or painted us the bully of the world. Not for one second.
Published by Danna Henkelman
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8 Comments
Post a CommentAmen. (And thank you for your service to our country.)
Furthermore, When we do exit, there will be 35,000-50,000 US "Advisors" still in-country... at least until the oil runs out.
"Six years ago we began an effort to strike down terrorism."
Bunk! Six years ago, Americans were propagandized by their own government into a war based SOLELY on LIES.
Jeremy, are you sure about that?....
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members .. It is
Scott, research will show that you're mistaken in some of your assumptions. Both John Kerry and Hillary Clinton stated that their vote was to give President Bush the authority to wage a war on terror, but they both expressed in their senate arguments a desire for a diplomatic solution. Additionally, the amount of WMDs were negligible inert weapons left over from the 80s war with Iran. On October 6, 2004, the head of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG), Charles Duelfer, announced to the United States Senate Armed Services Committee that the group found no evidence that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had produced and stockpiled any weapons of mass destruction since 1991, when UN sanctions were imposed.
It is the duty of citizens to speak up for what they believe is right, and this is vital to the proper functioning of democracy. There can be no "government by the people" if the people remain silent, and only voicing an opinion in the voting booth is often not enough.
Debate and discussion, whether in dissent or in support of our government's actions, are important to the future of our union.
Dissent in a peaceful manner in defense of the principles of the nation is also patriotic. It is the responsibility of us as citizens in this great nation to speak up when we feel that the principles of our nation are being compromised. Now some may disagree on whether the Iraq war and the larger war on terror compromised the freedom and justice our nation was built on, or helped preserve the liberties that we enjoy. It could be that, like many things, both good and ill came from the war. And it's important to try and determine what lessons can be learned and what policies should be correc
Leslie, how quickly you forget. The war in Iraq was-and is to remove terrorists who want to harm the US. Nearly every Congressman and woman voted and voiced their approval to disarm Sadam. They had the same intellegence that The White House had. The same that the rest of the country had. We DID find WMD in Iraq. We DID find terrorists inside of Iraq. Though the amount of WMD were not as plentiful as what we originally thought, they were there and needed to be removed.
Before you judge Bush on his "false pretenses" do some research and see what John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and all the other members of congress were saying before we invaded. You will be surprised.
The purpose of the war was to capture those responsible for the 9/11 incident-not to fight terrorism. Terrorism is an ideology that can't be won with a war-short of annihilating the entire region. The goal of the war was also not to bring democracy to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Israel. The war was not intended to kill Sadaam either but quickly lead to that point. I don't condemn those who support the war, those who serve in the military, or anyone who states their opinion. I do condemn the Bush Administration for the false pretenses and their interpretation of the Constitution. Nice commemorative piece with a patriot's pride.